Everyday many Professionals, such as Firefighters, Confined Space Specialists and Search and Rescue Personnel, work in Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) environments. Many times these IDLH environments require the Professional to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). One piece of PPE that is part of this group is a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus or SCBA that is a device worn by the Professional to provide breathable air in an IDLH environment.
In addition to breathing issues, visibility in IDLH environments is often limited by darkness and/or smoke, and the Professionals have a difficult time seeing without illumination. This limited visibility presents a dangerous situation that may compromise both the safety and effectiveness of the Professionals and their crews. To see in the IDLH environment, the Professionals must use some type of portable lighting, such as a flashlight or other hand held lighting. The portable lighting apparatus can be bulky and difficult to control, i.e., turn on or off in certain environments or situations. For example, attempting to operate a small light switch with gloves on in an environment that requires gloves is difficult. Hand held lights also require use of one hand to hold the light, which is unacceptable to Professionals that require both hands to be free.
Thus there is a need for alternative strategies to increase illumination or visibility in IDLH environments and decrease risk to the Professionals.